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Canada and France opened diplomatic consulates on Friday in the capital of Greenland, showing support for NATO ally Denmark and the Arctic island in the wake of US efforts to secure control of the semiautonomous Danish territory. Canada's maple-leaf flag went up and dozens of people sang "O Canada" as Foreign Minister Anita Anand officially opened the country's consulate in Nuuk, which is also the largest city of the icy Arctic island. "The significance of raising this flag today and formally opening the consulate is that we will stand together with the people of Greenland and Denmark on many issues," she said. Anand cited deepening ties on defence, security, climate change, economic resilience and Arctic co-operation. France's Foreign Ministry said Jean-Noel Poirier was taking up his duties as consul general on Friday, making it the first European Union country to establish a consulate general in Greenland. Greenland's Sermitsiaq reported that Poirier had arrived on Friday along
Farmers drove about a hundred tractors into Paris on Thursday morning to protest the European Union's intention to move forward with a free trade deal with five South American nations, the French Interior Ministry said. French farmers for years have denounced the trade deal with the Mercosur nations of Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay, arguing that the deal would hurt French farmers' livelihoods. Thursday's protest was staged by the Rural Coordination union to put further pressure on France's government, which has opposed the deal. Jose Perez, President of the Rural Coordination in the Lot-et-Garonne region in southwestern France, said, The goal today is to come to Paris to express our demands closer to those who have the power. It's a strong symbol, he told The Associated Press. The Interior Ministry said about 20 tractors were in the Paris city centre, some at the Arc de Triomphe monument and others in the Eiffel Tower neighbourhood, despite a ban issued by ...
A Paris court found Monday 10 people guilty of cyberbullying France's first lady, Brigitte Macron, by spreading false online claims about her gender and sexuality, including allegations that she was born a male. One defendant was sentenced to six months in prison, while eight were handed suspended sentences between four and eight months. All 10 were ordered to attend cyberbullying awareness training. The court pointed to particularly degrading, insulting, and malicious comments referring to false claims suggesting that Brigitte Macron was transgender and a pedophile. Repeated publications have had cumulative harmful effects, the court said. The defendants, eight men and two women ranging in age from 41 to 65, were accused of having posted numerous comments falsely claiming that the wife of President Emmanuel Macron was born male and likening their 24-year age gap to pedophilia. Some of the posts were viewed tens of thousands of times. Brigitte Macron didn't attend the two-day tria
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday began a six-day visit to France and Luxembourg to hold talks on bilateral and global issues of mutual interests. In Paris, he will be meeting the French leadership and will hold talks with Foreign Minister Jean Noel Barrot, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). Jaishankar's visit to France comes against the backdrop of growing global concerns over the US capturing Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro and his wife in a military operation. The MEA said Jaishankar and Barrot will discuss the progress made under the India-France strategic partnership and matters of global importance. The two ministers are also expected to prepare ground for French President Emmanuel Macron's visit to India next month to participate in the AI Summit. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had co-chaired the AI Summit along with Macron in Paris last February. The external affairs minister will also address the 31st edition of the French Ambassadors'
British and French warplanes carried out an airstrike in central Syria on an underground facility where members of the Islamic State group are suspected to have stored weapons and explosives, the British defence ministry said Sunday. The strikes occurred Saturday evening on the structure in the mountains just north of the historic town of Palmyra in the country's Homs province, the ministry's statement said. Britain and France are part of the US-led coalition that has been fighting IS militants for more than a decade. The ministry said the British military used Typhoon FGR4 fighter jets supported by a Voyager refuelling tanker and were joined by French aircraft in the joint strike. The British air force used Paveway IV guided bombs to target a number of access tunnels down to the facility, the statement said, adding that while a detailed assessment is now underway, initial indications are that the target was engaged successfully. This action shows our UK leadership, and determinati
Legislators in Algeria voted to declare France's colonisation of the North African country a crime, approving a law that calls for restitution of property taken by France during its 130-year rule, among other demands seeking to redress historical wrongs. France slammed the law as a hostile act threatening bilateral efforts to heal wounds of the past. The two countries retain close cultural and economic ties but have troubled diplomatic relations. In a solemn ceremony steeped in symbolism, 340 of 407 members of Algeria's National Assembly voted late Wednesday to approve the law. The move came just a few weeks after African countries made a collective resolution for recognition and reparations for colonial-era crimes. The law covers the period from the landing of King Charles X's army on the beaches of Sidi Ferruch west of Algiers in 1830 to July 5, 1962, the date of Algeria's official independence. The text provides for the restitution of Algerian archives and property moved to Fran
France will build a new aircraft carrier with a capacity for 30 fighter jets and 2,000 sailors, French President Emmanuel Macron announced Sunday in what he described as "the display of our nation's power in the service of freedom on the seas and amid the turbulence of our times. In an age of predators, we must be strong in order to be feared, and especially strong at sea. This is why, in line with the last two military programming laws, and after a thorough and careful review, I have decided to equip France with a new aircraft carrier. The decision to launch the construction of this very large-scale program was taken this week, Macron told French troops stationed in Abu Dhabi. The new vessel is planned to be ready in 2038, replacing the ageing Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier, which came into service in 2001. It will have a displacement of about 78,000 tons and a length of 310 meters (1,017 feet), compared to 42,000 tons and 261 meters (856 feet) for the Charles de Gaulle. The ne